Experience the best of Guarulhos

Guarulhos is part of the São Paulo metropolitan area, and its origins as a settlement date to the 16th century. The old centre of streets and small squares has since grown into one of the most populous cities in the state. The Tietê river basin lies to the south, and the northern edge of the city climbs into the Serra da Cantareira, a forested range that helps protect São Paulo's water supply.

The Cantareira State Park, a large remnant of Atlantic forest, reaches the city's northern side, with trails, streams and birdlife in the woods. Beyond it, the reservoir town of Mairiporã and the hill country around Atibaia are weekend escapes for people from São Paulo. The airport, opened in 1985, connects the whole region to the rest of Brazil and the world, and the centre of São Paulo lies a short way to the south-west.

Bakeries and cantinas here show the cooking of São Paulo state: pastéis, coxinhas, pão na chapa, mortadella sandwiches and Italian-style pizza, alongside Japanese and Lebanese dishes from the region's large immigrant communities. Summers are warm and wet and winters cooler and drier, but coffee, served strong and small at the counter, is the constant.